Dispensing container



July 21, 1925. 1,546,468

C. L. BERNIER DISPENSING CONTAINER Filed May 27. 1924 l WITNESSES INVENTOR ATTORNEYS and State of California,

Patented July 21, 1925.

UNITED STATES CHARLES LOUIS BERNIER, 0F SANTA ANA, CALIFORNIA.

DISPENSING CONTAINER.

Application led Kay 27, 1924. Serial No. 716,249.

To all whom t may concern.:

Be it known that I, CHARLES L. BERNIER, a citiren of the United States, and resident of Santa Ana, in the county of Orange have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Dispensing Containers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is an improvement in dispensing containers of the type adapted to receive granular substances, such as sugar, and it consists in the combinations, constructions and arrangements herein described and claimed.

A An object of the invention is to provide a container of the character described which affords facilities for dispensing approximately the same quantity of a granular su stance at veach operation thereof without therebeing any necessity of uncovering the container or making use of a spoon or. like article to remove the contents of the container.

A further object of the invention is to provide Va container of the character described which is thoroughly sanitary, in that the parts thereof can be quickly, easily and eifectually cleaned and the contents of the container are protected from foreign matter, such as dirt, dust and dampness as well as from insects.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description, considered in conjunction with the accompan fing drawings, in which l l Figure 1 is a view partly in side elevation and partly in vertical section, showing a container embodying the invention,

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 but taken at right angles to the latter,

Figure Bis a section along the of Figure 1,

Figure 4 is a. longitudinal vertical section through the measuring and dispensing apparatus of the container, showing in side elevation the fragmentary portion of a rock shaft which'iis associated therewith,

Figure is a section along the line 55 of Figure 4.

A container embodying the invention comprises an upper tubular section 1, a lower section 2 which also is shown as being tubular and a removable cover or lid 8 for the upper end of the upper section 1. The upper section 1 is shown as being cylindrical in cross. sectional'contour and as beopposite handle members 4r. The lower or base section 2 1s vertically disposed and is provided at its upper end with a relatively .short cylindrical portion 5 having screw threads formed on the inner wall thereof for engaging with screw threads on vthe outer wall of the lower end portion of the upper section 1, as indicated at 6, whereby the upper and lower sections will be connected together' detachably and the upper section will be supported upon the lower section. The lower section 2 preferably is formed so that the outer wall thereof will be concavely curved longitudinally of the lower section from the lower end of the cylindrical portion 5 to the opposite or lower end of the lower section.

A partition between the spaces within the upper section 1 and the lower section 2 is provided by a plate 7 which is joined integrally or otherwise at its outer edge to the lower section 2 adjacent to the upper end of the latter and preferably in the plane of the lower end of the cylindrical portion 5 of the lower section,'whereby the plate 7 will provide a stop for limiting the vertical movement of the upper section 1 downwardly when the upper section 1 is screwed into the lower section and will aid in supporting the upper section. The plate 7 is substantially funnel-shaped or in other words slopes from the juncture thereof with the lower section 2 toward an opening 8 which is located 'at the approximate center of the plate 7.

The plate thus may be termed a hopper. A measuring and dispensing apparatus which is comprisedy in the container includes a valve casing which comprises a cylindrical body 9 which is closed at its ends by caps or heads 10. The cylindrical body 9 of the valve casing is secured in any suitable known mai-mer, as by meansA of solder, to the plate i' so that the cylindrical body 9 will be horizontally disposed and will be positioned directly beneath the central portion of the plate 7 with an inlet opening 11 in the upper part of the cylindrical body 9 in register with the opening 8 of the-plate 7. The cylindrical body 9 o the valve casing also is provided with a lateral discharge opening 12. A discharge conduit or chute 13 extends from the openin 12 in an outward and downward direction through an opening in an inwardly curvedor re-entrant Ving provided with a pair of diametrically portion 14 of the lower section 2 and termiates at its outer end slightly beyond the outer wall of the lower section 2 and at a. level which is located approximately midway between the upper and lower ends of the lower section. v

A hollow rotary valve interfits the valve casing and comprises a cylindrical body 15 which closely interits the body of the valve casing and is closed at its ends by caps or heads 16. A. rock shaft 17'extends through aligned central openings in the heads or caps of the valve casing and the valve and is secured to at least one of the heads of the valve in any suitable known manner, as by means of a key 18 so that rotation of the shaft 17 about its axis will cause a like movement of the valve. However, the rotary movement of the valve in lthe valve casing is limited by means of-a stop pin 19 which extends from one of the ends or caps of the valve into an arcuate slot 2O which is formed in the adjacent head or cap of the valve casing. The valve can rotate about its axis only from the position best seen in Figure 4:` in which an ope-ning 21 in the bo y of the valve is in register with the opening 11 in the valve casing to such position that the opening 21 will be in register with the lateral opening 12, or vice versa. A pull string 22 which is attached at one end to the plate 7 and at its other end to the outer end of a rocker arm 23 which is secured to the rock shaft 17 tends to hold the valve within Athe valve easing in the position best seen in Figure 4.

The rock shaft 17 extends at one end through an opening in the lower section 2 and has the extreme outer end portion thereof squared as indicated at 24 to engage with a correspondingly configured opening in an operating handle 25. The operating handle 25 is inclined as best seen in Figure 2 at the time the opening 21 of the valve is in register with the opening 11 of the valve casing. The outer end ortion of the operatin handle 25 prefera ly is flattened as in icated at 26 so that pressure tending to swing the outer end of the operating handle downwardly may be conveniently applied by a linger of a hand of the user. When the outer end of the operating handle 25 is depressed, the valve will be rotated from the position shown in Figures 4 and 5 to such position that the opening 21 will be in register with the opening 12. The hollow valve is divided interiorly by a diametrically disposed partition plate 27 which extends the full length of the hollow valve. The partition plate 27 inclines slightly from the vertical when t-he opening 21 is in re ister with the opening 11 and is slightly inc ined from the horizontal when the opening 21 is in register with the o ening 12. However, the end of the partition plate 27 that is located aluminum.

-manner and ma of glass and the lower section 2 preferably is made of a light gauge metal. such as Obviously, these parts 'of the device may be made of other suitable ma terial without departing from the spirit and vscope of thevinvention. The headsv or caps which close the valve easing and the valve body respectively may be secured in place by solder or in any other suitable known be detachable, if desired. It of course will be understood that the valve is disposed within the bodyof the.

cover 3 neednot be removed after the sugar Y or like material is placed within the upper section 1. The granular material therefore will be .protected from dust, dirt, dampness and insects continuously. Material from the upper section 1 will pass by gravity through the registering openings 11 and 21 and will fill the space lwithin the hollow valve at onev side of the partition plate 27. This space is sufliciently largeto accommodate a desirable and known quantity 'of granular material. When the hollow valve is rotated about the axis of the rock shaft 17 because of manipulation of the operating handle 25, the opening 11 will be covered or closed at its lower ends by the rotating valve body as soon as the opening 21 is out of register with the opening 11 and will remain closed until the o ening 21 is again in register with the openlng 11. It will be manifest that the known quantity of granular material within the hollow valve will slide by gravity on the partition plate 27 from the hollow valve to the openings 21 and 12 when the valve has been rotatedto position the openings 21l in register with the opening 12 into the spout 13' and then through and from the latter. The receptacle into which the quantity of granular material is to be discharged may be placed directly underneath the outer or discharge end of the spout 13 and may be partially" received within the'recess which is defined by the re-entrant portion of the lower 4section 2. When the pressure on the outer end' of the operating handle 25 has been removed, the hollow valve will be retrated in the accompanying drawings, and

ll therefore consider as my own all such modifications and adaptations of the form of the device herein described as airly fall within the scope of the appended claim.

Having thus I claim 1s A container comprising a tubular upper section, a tubular lower section adapted at its upper end to engage with the lower end portion of said upper section, and a hopper carried by the lower section at the lower end of the u per section, a hollow valve Casin secure against the under side of said liopper and having an inlet opening filled so that the device 'is always? -Aisgranul'ar ma.

'ing and when the rotar described the invention, what I said valve casing also having a lateral dis charge opening, a discharge conduit extending from said lateral opening outwardly beyond the lower section and being inclined toward its lower end, means within said valve casing for controlling communication between the first named opening of the valve casing and said spout, a .rotaryhollow valve having an opening in the walls thereof adapted when the rotary valve is in one position Within the valve casing to register with the inlet opening of the valve -casvalve'is in another position in the va ve casing to register with the lateral discharge opening of the valve casing, and a partition plate dividing the interior of the hollow valve into two compartments, the partition plate extending lonitudinallyof the valve and bewhen the valve is l in either aforesaid positions thereof, saiding incline of the two Apartition Vplate sloping toward the lateral discharge-opening of the valve casing when the opening of the valve is in register with 'said discharge opening and sloping in the opposite direction when the opening of the valve yis in register with the inlet opening LoUIs BERNIER..

vof the valve caslng. in register with the opening of the hopper, y,

CHARLES 

